Debt
by Mewkey
Summary: FIRMLY Movie-verse. Rated M for language and...other very good reasons. Older and wiser Lydia, freshly divorced, returns to the Winter River house of her youth to do some soul searching. She unwittingly releases Beetlejuice from his 20-year prison, and he's in the mood to collect on the debt she owes him.
1. Home

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the source material or the characters involved in this piece. Movie BJ is owned, I assume, by Tim Burton, Geffen Entertainment, and Warner Brothers. I am making no profit off of this piece, nor do I intend to make any profit off of it, so please don't sue me. I'm very poor and it would do you no good.

* * *

Lydia passed slowly through the graveyard where many a morbidly happy moment of her childhood had passed, trailing pale fingers over the headstones she remembered so well. A cool autumn breeze played on her face, bringing with it the damp smells of decaying leaves and dark green moss from the wood nearby.

Lydia was much older now, the victim of a failed marriage and a failed career. At the age of thirty-five, she found herself newly single and desperately seeking work as an art teacher at the very school she had attended the last time she'd lived in this quiet, peaceful town.

A wry smile passed over her lips. _Not so peaceful, in fact,_ she thought.

She gave herself a shake, forcing her mind back to the present and away from the events of _that night. _Lydia pointed herself at the woods and walked on.

Dry twigs snapped underfoot as she wove her way through the sweet-smelling pine trees, a creek burbling softly somewhere to her right. She found a relatively clean rock and sat down, tired from another sleepless night. She was glad of the silence of the woods – having just moved back into the long-abandoned house of her youth, she found it difficult to adjust to all the changes in her life.

Being endlessly questioned by Barbara and Adam, her adopted ghost parents, didn't help.

**[~]**

"But what happened, really?" Barbara asked. "You and Daniel seemed so happy together."

"A match made in Heaven," said Adam.

Lydia sighed as she buttered her toast.

"I don't know," she replied, "I guess we meshed too well. I got bored, he got bored…it happens."

The split had been amicable, and easily accomplished since they had no children. She gave him their Manhattan apartment and talked her father and Delia into letting her take over the Winter River house. Her parents had long since moved back to the city, and despite her father's talent with Real Estate they had never been able to sell the house.

"So what will you do now?" Adam asked. "You can't skulk around the house from here to eternity."

Lydia glowered at him for a moment.

"I just moved in. Can I have a little settling-in time before I plan out every second of the rest of my life?"

Adam opened his mouth to reply, but Barbara cut him off gently.

"Adam? Could you help me with something in the attic?"

"But I was just going to say…"

"Now, sweetie?"

Understanding dawned on Adam's face and he grinned sheepishly at Lydia before leaving the room. Barbara dropped a kiss on Lydia's head and gave her a reassuring hug around the shoulders before following suit. Lydia swallowed the last of her toast and decided she needed some fresh air.

**[~]**

Sitting in the silent wood, Lydia took a moment to probe her mind, trying to find an answer to Adam's question. _What do I want? What should I do? Who am I? _She closed her eyes, drifting into a meditative state, letting her mind wander where it wanted to go.

_Dirty blond hair, tinged with green. Blazing emerald eyes. Pallid, bluish skin. A cunning smile, laced with mischief. An aura of crackling energy…_

Lydia slid off the rock onto a soft bed of pine needles, drifting into a dream…


	2. Dream

Snow swirled around her as she stumbled backward and fell to the ground. Slowly, savoring the moment, he rose before her. He breathed deeply, relishing the smell of death and decay around him. As he rose, raw energy crackled around him, sparks flying in all directions, making his hair stand on end. He chuckled quietly to himself as he gazed at her horror-struck form at his feet. Above, black storm clouds stacked on top of one another as the blizzard raged around them.

Her hands scrabbled at the frozen earth, a desperate panic turning her blood to ice water in her veins. Wisps of ethereal grey smoke curled around her body, lifting her and forcing her into a crucifix-like pose. He brought her face to face with himself, a demonic red glow lending color to his pale visage. He traced a finger down her cheek, across her collar bone, around the curve of her right breast…

"You owe me a debt, little girl," he growled menacingly.

She shivered as he drew her into a crushing embrace. His clammy hand cupped her left breast, a finger grazing her nipple, as his serpent-like tongue lapped at her neck. She closed her eyes, at once filled with both terror and a morbid desire. Teeth replaced tongue as his other hand slipped down her helpless body, pausing at her breast and again at her hip, inching ever closer to her…

**[~]**

Lydia woke with a start, momentarily confused, flinging herself off the ground and whirling around in a panicked circle, looking for _him._ She stopped, breathing heavily, and she could have sworn she heard his cackling laugh on the wind. She hugged herself, telling herself over and over that it was just a fucked up dream, and hurried home – desperately ignoring the warmth she felt at her core and denying the faint desire for more that pricked at the edges of her mind.


	3. Awake

Beetlejuice stirred. A small spark passed through his body and he shuddered. He felt just the tiniest pinprick of his former power, and a slow smile spread across his moldering face. As his consciousness cemented itself, he experimentally flexed his fingers and toes, delighted to find he could move again. He struggled a bit, and was able to get his hand up to his face. After a moment's concentration he conjured a cigarette and inhaled deeply. He exhaled with a racking cough that quickly melted into a moan of pleasure. Twenty years is a hell of a long time to wait for a smoke.

He knew he wasn't nearly strong enough to break free of all the enchantments surrounding him, but he'd worry about that later. For now, he was just happy to be able to smoke and scratch his balls.

One deeply satisfying scratch later, he concentrated on finding the source of his new found power. He reached out with his mind, following the path of the spark, and then he felt it. The Bond. He hadn't felt it in twenty years, and he nearly didn't recognize it now, but there it was. That meant the little bitch was close by, and she was thinking about him.

He took a long drag on his cig and contemplated his next move. She needed to keep thinking about him long enough to break him loose, but he was in no state to influence her.

_Bitch,_ he thought again, _the eternal fucking cock-tease._ But he would have his revenge. He just needed to be patient.

_Not my fucking strong suit,_ _but there ain't much I can do about it._

He settled back, getting into a more comfortable position.

_You owe me a debt, little girl,_ he thought with a wicked smile, _and it's time to pay the fuck up._

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_AN: Welcome welcome! If you're not familliar with my work, you should know that I am the queen of super-short chapters (as I'm sure you can tell, having read three of them yourself just now lol). It's just how my muse breaks things up, I'm sorry! I try to make up for the shortness by posting several chapters at a time, so please forgive me! Thanks for stopping by. I hope you're enjoying this story. Please leave reviews! Me love you long time!_


	4. Cleaning

"Ok," Lydia reasoned with herself as she high-tailed it back to the house, "so that happened. So what? It doesn't mean anything. You barely got two hours of sleep last night, and you're living in the old house again. Hell, you even took over your old bedroom. It was bound to bring up some demons…"

She shuddered, mentally chastising herself for her poor choice of words. She forced her mind to empty as she ran up to her front door. She flew past Barbara and Adam, up to her mostly unpacked room, and began wildly chucking her belongings into what used to be her dad and step mom's room.

As she struggled to move her bed frame, a tiny, rebellious voice in the back of her head made an observation she had been avoiding.

"You liked it."

"I did not," she said to herself, "I was asleep!"

"Doesn't matter, you liked it and you wanted more. You liked feeling helpless, being dominated…"

She jammed ear buds into her ears and turned on the loudest rock she could find quickly on her MP3 player.

**[~]**

Twelve hours later, all of Lydia's boxes were unpacked and her things were put neatly away. Cobwebs and dust no longer covered every surface in the house, and every single one of her dishes had been scoured within an inch of its life. She collapsed exhaustedly onto her second-hand couch and surveyed her handiwork.

Barbara, noticing the silence, crept down the staircase and entered the living room.

"House looks great," she ventured, "That must have been some walk you took, to have inspired all this work."

"I fell asleep in the woods out there and had a…really messed up dream. It fucked with my head a little bit, so I needed the distraction."

"Oh. Do you want to…?"

"No," Lydia said firmly. "Of all the topics in the world that we could discuss at this very moment, that dream is strictly off limits."

"But it might…"

"No, Barb. Seriously…just no."

"Ok…well…how about I make you something to eat? What sounds good?"

"Nothing. I'm ok, really, you don't have to cook for me."

"You haven't eaten all day." A motherly tone crept into Barbara's voice. "How about some soup?"

**[~]**

She didn't want to admit it, but tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich turned out to be exactly what Lydia wanted, and she ate greedily. The soup warmed her inside and out, making her feel a little light headed.

"Go on," Barbara said, "Bed. Now."

Too tired to protest this childish treatment, Lydia smiled sleepily at Barbara and headed upstairs.

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_AN: Ah yes, another super short chapter. Wanted to get this up before the weekend. Being away from work makes it slightly more difficult to upload chapters. But rest assured, there will be more coming this weekend. I have a plan! Thanks to jh831 and Lill for reviewing, and thank YOU for reading. Reviews make me super happy! :-D_


	5. Interrupted

Sand stretched endlessly to her left and right. Straight ahead, the ocean lapped lazily at the shoreline. She laughed as she watched her love and her daughter play in the waves. Her little girl shrieked in laughter as the child's father came up from underneath her, holding her on his shoulders for a moment before throwing her backwards into the sparkling water. Lydia laughed again as she watched her daughter climb out of the water and up her father's back. He pretended to look for her, calling her name before falling backward, taking them both underwater again.

Lydia lay back in the sand, closing her eyes and savoring the warmth of the sun as it worked to put some color into her pale skin. Suddenly, she felt cold water dripping on her, and she opened one eye to see her daughter standing over her.

"Look mommy! Shells!"

The tiny girl thrust two sand dollars into her mother's lap.

"They're lovely, Molly! Thank you very much."

Lydia deposited them onto the ever-growing pile of sea shells next to her bag as her daughter raced back into the ocean.

"Ok, baby, you stay in the shallows now," Molly's father said. "Daddy needs a break."

"And stay where I can see you!" Lydia called as she sat up. Her husband wearily crossed the sand and flopped down on his belly next to her.

"That kid will kill me all over again, Babes," he said. "I just can't keep up."

"You love it," Lydia replied, leaning over to drop a kiss on his shoulder.

"I'd love it more right now if I had a cold beer. It's fuckin hot out here!"

He reached behind himself, opening and closing his fingers to indicate where she should deposit the brew. She sighed, slapping a bottle into his grip, and he rolled onto his side.

"Oh yeah, that's the stuff." He gulped it down and finally sat up, drawing his knees up and resting his elbows on them. "Thanks, Babes, I knew you were a keeper!"

Lydia rolled her eyes as her husband snaked an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and nuzzling her neck.

"Isn't it just about Molly's nap time?" he asked suggestively, beginning to nibble at her earlobe.

"I suppose we could put her down for an hour," she replied, laying her palm against his cheek.

"Or two?" he said, moving his lips to her neck.

**[~]**

Beetlejuice gagged. _This? THIS is what she's dreaming about? Jesus…_

He shook himself, testing the power she was supplying him with through her dream. It still wasn't enough to break free, but it was enough to project himself. He sat up and cracked his knuckles, another cigarette materializing between his lips.

"How about a little preview?" he said aloud.

**[~]**

The sky turned dark and malevolent. A qualm of fear ran through Lydia and she pushed her husband away, rising to run to her daughter. A jagged burst of lightning struck in front of her, turning the sand to molten glass. She screamed for Molly to get out of the water. Molly shrieked and ran toward her mother, only taking two steps before being swept up in a huge wave. It crested at almost ten feet and then crashed back onto the beach, slamming Molly into the sand before drawing her back into the sea.

Lydia screamed, running toward the water, desperate to save her daughter. Molly's unconscious body was dragged far out into a swirling hole in the water. Lightning struck again and again across the beach, and a heavy rain began to fall.

As she reached the water's edge, Lydia felt herself lifted into the air and hurled back from the water, landing on her back. She gasped for breath, the wind knocked out of her, and she struggled to get up. An unearthly force held her pinned to the ground, only allowing her head to snap up to witness the death of her child. She saw Molly's body swirling further and further down in the maelstrom, finally disappearing completely under the murky water. She screamed helplessly as her daughter's body vanished from sight, calling to her husband for help.

The storm dissipated, crashing waves calming to a gentle lapping at the beach. The rain continued unabated. Lydia found herself able to stand and she leaped to her feet, whirling to face her husband.

"We have to find her!" Lydia screamed, running up to him. "She's drowning!"

She ran into an invisible barrier between her and her husband, falling again to the sand. She looked up, shocked, to see him laughing. No longer wearing swim trunks, he was instead clad in a dingy black and white striped suit. He adjusted his cuffs as he chuckled, not looking at her. His expression changed, and he looked as though he was digging his underwear out of his ass for a moment.

"Sand. It gets everywhere, God damn it…"

"What…what's going on?" Lydia stammered.

"Y'know, you're a bright kid. Real creative. And THIS is the best shit you could come up with?"

Beetlejuice snorted.

"I thought you knew me better than this, kid. I don't exactly go in for all this family bullshit."

"What are you TALKING about?" Lydia gazed at him in a mix of horror and confusion.

"Wake up kid. You're dreaming. Or at least you were dreaming. Now I think we've crossed into nightmare territory."

He knelt in front of her. She tried to get up but he caught her ankle in an iron grip, pulling her toward him. He traced a fingertip up her bare leg, the path cutting a thin gash. Blood ran slowly down to pool on the sand under her and she cried out.

"Gotta tell ya, kid, you filled out nice. I might be a pervert, but I was never a pedophile, so you'll forgive me if I didn't think much of your body the last time we played this game. Now, however…"

Lust and anger mingled on his features as his finger continued to cut its way up her thigh. She struggled, and felt more gashes cut in her ankle. He leaned down and trailed his tongue up the slit he had cut in her leg, widening it as she screamed in pain.

He raised his head, her blood dripping down his chin, and looked into her eyes. She stared back at him, her terror-struck eyes echoing a look he had seen when she was his child bride all those years ago. The air around her seemed to pulse and he was forcibly taken back to the night she had guessed his name.

_I want in,_ her voice said in his mind. _Why would you want that?_ he heard himself reply. A rush of pity for the young, unhappy girl washed through him.

His grip loosened on her ankle and she twisted away, running blindly, limping on her trembling wounded leg. He sat still for a moment, collecting himself.

The moment passed. He felt his anger abating, felt himself weakening as she rushed further away from him. _Fuck it,_ he thought,_ plenty of time later for revenge._ He pulled himself back into his own body.

**[~]**

Lydia awoke screaming in Adam's arms.

"Lydia!" he said, "Thank God. We couldn't get you to wake up. You were having a nightmare."

Barbara sat beside them, stroking Lydia's hair.

"What on earth were you dreaming of? You were screaming so loud…"

Lydia pushed them away, throwing herself out of the bed and ripping her pajama pants off to examine her legs. There were no traces of the wounds he had inflicted on her. She felt her hair…bone dry and sand-free. She stood breathing heavily for a moment, slowly coming back to reality. Her expression hardened and she looked at her ghostly God parents.

"He's back," she said.

Barbara put a hand to her mouth and grabbed Adam's hand.

"How?" Adam asked quietly, shocked.

"I don't know, but trust me. He's back."

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_AN: Had to throw a little fluff in for the "tame BJ" fans. Plus I have to earn that "romance" tag lol. And hey look...a longer chapter yay! Thankies to TheBlackxRabbit and Lovely Miss Fyrefly for the reviews, and as always thank YOU for reading! Read and review and me love you long time._


	6. Anger

Lydia's heart thudded almost as loudly in her chest as her feet on the stairs as she raced to the attic. Barbara and Adam phased through the floor and threw open the door for her, running after her to search the town model. Lydia grabbed the headstone bearing _his_ cursed name and wrenched it off the table. It seemed to let out a scream of pain as she flung it to the floor.

"Where are you, you sick fuck?" Lydia screamed at the table as she clawed wildly at the fake grass of _his_ fake grave. Barbara put her arms around Lydia's waist and pulled her backward, shoving her onto the dusty couch across the room as she continued screaming obscenities into the ether. Adam stooped and gingerly picked up the diminutive headstone, gazing at it in wonder.

Lydia's shouts dissolved into heavy breathing and she braced herself against the arms of the couch, fighting to regain control. Slowly, her breath quieted and she looked up at Adam, who was still clutching the grave marker.

"How…" Adam stammered, "How did you do that?"

"How did I do what?" Lydia asked.

"Pull off the gravestone. I've been trying to pry it loose for years and couldn't get a fingernail under it. I couldn't even cut a hole around it in the table…"

Lydia stared at him the way you would stare at a man who asked the weather forecast during a hurricane.

"Adam," Barbara said, "we have a slightly larger problem on our hands."

"Exactly, and we need a plan," Lydia added. "I'll not be his fucking doormat this time around."

"But what can we do?" Adam asked. "He's obviously not in the model like before. And I'm fairly certain if he was out he would have manifested in the house somewhere."

"Adam has a point, honey," Barbara said. "Is it possible that you're just…well…having nightmares?"

Lydia stared aghast at them both.

"Listen," she said, "I know the difference between your average nightmare and a poltergeist's influence. God knows I have more than enough experience with both!"

"But why not show himself? He's not exactly what you would call shy."

"I don't know," Lydia mused, "but I intend to find out. They're my fucking dreams, so let's see how much I can play with them…"

**[~]**

Beetlejuice was strong enough now to be able to see the stark stone walls that surrounded him. They hadn't just thrown him in prison, they had built the prison around him. No doors, no windows, just stone. He scraped a dirty, jagged fingernail down one wall, scheming.

He figured one more dream ought to do it, and he planned to make it a doozy. No witty banter, no unpleasant fleshy distractions, just him and Lydia.

A voice in the back of his head decided to ask an awkward question.

"You had her right where you wanted her. Why'd ya stop?"

"Shut it, you."

He had no patience with himself, especially now that he was so close to being out.

His body suddenly rent itself in two, and he stood face to face with himself.

"You want her to suffer," clone BJ said, "but the minute she turns those sweet brown eyes on you, you go soft. What the hell's that about?"

"I'm just getting my juice back. Why waste it all on one night when I can stockpile it and go scare her man-o ah man-o?"

Clone BJ snorted.

"Look, you can't afford to go soft on me now, me. That bitch _owes_ you. She's your ticket out _permanently._"

Clone BJ smacked Beetlejuice upside the head.

"Pull yourself together!"

Both Beetlejuices snorted with laughter as clone BJ rejoined his better half.

A different part of him asserted itself, and he found himself picturing Lydia's face. He couldn't help but think about those brown eyes of hers. He wondered what they would look like clouded with lust instead of fear. Yet another part of himself…a teeny, tiny speck of a part that he wished would shut the hell up and leave him alone…wondered what it would feel like if instead of revulsion, those eyes looked into his filled to the brim with…love.

He shook himself. No mistakes this time. No mercy. He'd have her wetting the bed in fear, and then juice himself out of this shithole straight to her bedroom. And then all debts would be _paid_.

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_AN: Filler chapter to get from point A to point B. Typed, edited, and uploaded while watching the source material...and I just might watch it again lol. Haven't actually seen the movie in probably 10 years until tonite. AND IT KEEPS GETTING FUNNIER EVERY SINGLE TIME I SEE IT! Thanks to TheBlackxRabbit, AssasiniaTheHollowPrincess, vwvanlover, and Miss Savvy for reading and reviewing. Hope I live up to your expectations! Also thanks to my favorite lurker AphroditesCrush (doesn't have a fan fic dot net account, but I didn't want to use his real name) for talking to me about this fic in real life at Starbucks and not worried about how incredibly dorky the convo was lol. As always, read and review and me love you long time!_


	7. Dreamscape

Night fell swiftly and silently, clouds obscuring the silvery moon. Lydia sighed, toying with the tiny gravestone that bore her enemy's true name as she waited for the sleeping pill to kick in. She had talked the Maitlands into hiding out on the other side for this confrontation. She didn't want them to become victims again. Besides, the way she saw it this was her fight. She'd made the deal 20 years ago after all.

She gazed at the gravestone in her palm. This would be her talisman – the thing to tell her she was dreaming. She'd read that she stood a chance of controlling her dream if she found a way to become aware that she was dreaming. She hoped that, once asleep, she would see the gravestone in her dream-self's hand and become aware of the dream consciously.

A slightly drugged feeling crept over her and she settled into a more comfortable position on the bed, clutching the gravestone to her chest as she slowly drifted into slumber.

**[~]**

She was lying in an impressively huge Gothic-style bed, wearing a vermillion silk nightdress shot-through with gold embroidery. Ruby colored velvet curtains were drawn on all sides, the canopy draped with the same rich fabric. Crimson silk pillows cradled her head and she nestled deeper into the cool fabric, stretching her legs luxuriously. Something tugged at her ankle as she stretched, and she heard the soft rustle of chain links being dragged slowly over hard wood. She glanced down to find her ankles chained to the posts of the bed. She tried to sit up, but found her wrists chained to the massive posts as well. Panic began to stir in her chest as she struggled against her bonds.

All around her, the air was suddenly filled with an other-worldly laughing.

The slack chains suddenly pulled taut, forcing Lydia into a spread-eagled position. The velvet curtains wrenched themselves open, and along the walls of the room hundreds of black and white candles floating in mid-air flared to life. Lydia bit her lip, fighting to keep herself under control as her panic intensified.

She heard a soft hissing, and looked down in horror to find dozens of vipers slithering across the stone floor. They glided up onto the bed, forming a loose circle around Lydia's thin frame. She made herself as small as possible, lying as close to the center of the bed as her chains would allow. Each of the 40 or so snakes reared up and stared with beady, black eyes at her motionless form. Their heads seemed to sway back and forth for a moment, enchanted by some ethereal music Lydia could not hear. Finally one of the snakes struck, its sharp fangs piercing the soft flesh of her thigh. A cry of pain turned to a cry of horror as the rest of the snakes flung themselves at her, their fangs sinking in deeply to deliver their deadly venom. Lydia writhed, screaming in pain, desperate to get away.

As she twisted on the bed, she suddenly became aware that she was clutching something tightly in her hand. She turned her head, and saw a tiny headstone bearing the name "Betelgeuse" in glowing red letters. She was puzzled for a moment before another wave of agony swept through her, and she gritted her teeth.

With a jolt, she realized why the tombstone was in her hand. She looked at it again, staring hard, willing the snakes to vanish. Their outlines began to twist and distort, and then finally they disappeared. A ghostly shriek filled the room as a small smile broke on Lydia's face. She threw the tombstone to the floor.

**[~]**

Beetlejuice lay on top of the bed canopy, trying to catch his breath. It had taken a lot out of him to keep the snake sprites going there toward the end, and when they'd been defeated he had felt The Bond snap tight between himself and Lydia. The strength of that tether had forced him to be visible, and had nearly pulled him back into his corporeal body…and his corporeal body out of the stone prison. Power radiated from her dream-self and crackled along the tether between his body and hers. A smile crossed his face briefly.

Now all I have to do is get her to say those magic words…

His thoughts were interrupted by a heap of chains smashing into his head. Stunned and seeing stars, he shot toward the ceiling, only to be met by a trio of hulking black vultures. Blood dripped from their beaks as they lunged, meeting Beetlejuice as he rose. He covered his face, shocked when he felt their razor-sharp beaks actually cut gashes in his arms. He beat them off, flailing his arms wildly as he sank back to the floor.

The vultures vanished, and he cautiously lowered his arms as he landed on the floor. He opened his eyes to find Lydia standing before him, her hair fanned out around her head in a halo as if she were under water.

"Got you now, asshole," she said, and fire flashed in her eyes. Her arms shot out at her sides, her palms turned toward him. He felt a tugging down the center of his body. She slowly raised her arms above her head, and his body began to rip along a seam of light directly down the middle. He clenched his fist and pushed back with his own juice, holding himself together. He blinked, and a seam of light now appeared down the center of Lydia's body. Beetlejuice smirked as he began to pull her apart.

"Not so fast,"Lydia said through gritted teeth. A gust of air blew through the room, gathering the flames of all the candles into a massive ball of fire. She blinked and the ball flew straight toward him.

He couldn't believe it, but he flinched.

Lydia's body knitted itself back together quickly as Beetlejuice refocused on sending the fire back to the candles. He looked into her eyes and held up his hands in surrender.

"Ok, ok, I give I give."

He snapped his fingers and the scene shifted, transforming into the beach from their last encounter. He was now wearing black and white striped swim trunks, she a blood-red bikini with a spider-web pattern on it and her hair swept up on top of her head. In the calm ocean, the little girl Molly from her dream frolicked and called to them to join her.

"This look better to ya, babes?" Beetlejuice grinned. He hoped to disarm her by showing her the idyllic family scene again. Unfortunately his plan backfired.

"No, I think I like this better," she replied, and the scene shifted again. Now they were in the misty forest from her first dream, only instead of the mist holding her hostage it held him. He was forced into the very same crucifixion pose that she had been in, just as helpless before her as she had been before him. She sauntered up to him and trailed a delicate white fingertip down his cheek.

"Remember this?" she whispered. Her finger traced the outline of his body, from neck to shoulder, down his side, around his belly and downward…

He gasped inadvertently as she grazed a rather sensitive area, breathing her scent in deeply. He suddenly felt intoxicated by her, though parts of his mind screamed at him to focus, to turn her hair into snakes, to break one of her nails, to do SOMETHING to take control. But instead of taking control, he found himself closing his eyes and breathing deeply again.

She smelled of eucalyptus and spearmint. He could almost taste it.

She hooked her hands over his shoulders and pressed her body into his.

"This is really what you want, isn't it?" she whispered in his ear. "You wanted to marry me, after all. And this is what married people do…"

"What, try to annihilate each other's souls?" he replied. "Yeah, I guess that is pretty much standard."

"No, Beetlejuice, not rip each other apart. Married people screw each other's brains out."

One of Beetlejuice's eyes shot open. Had she really just said his name?

He didn't have time to reflect on this turn of events because right at that moment, Lydia ground herself against him again and he let out an involuntary groan.

"Who's got the power this time, Beetlejuice?" she whispered.

Twice? She'd said his name twice now? Did she…like…not remember how this shit worked or something?

Her nails turned into razor sharp metal and she knelt in front of him, using her index finger to slowly cut a deep gash in his right leg, from ankle to groin.

"I asked you a question."

"You do," he breathed in reply, his body aching for her despite the burning pain in his leg.

"Damn straight I do."

She rose and looked him straight in the eye.

"How does it feel to have your power turned against you, Beetlejuice?"

He couldn't believe his luck. He felt The Bond stretch taut, ripping him out of the dreamscape and back into his corporeal body.

The evil grin that had been plastered on Lydia's face was replaced by a look of shock and disappointment as she suddenly realized she'd said his name three times.

"Aw fuck."

* * *

_AN: Bwahahahahahahaa cliffhanger! But seriously, how friggin stupid does old Lyds have to be? Lol. Thanks to MadHattressX3, TheBlackxRabbit, and MissSavvy. As always, please read and review and me love you long time!_


	8. Alive

_**WARNING: SMUT AHEAD. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK**_

* * *

Lydia searched her dreamscape for the tombstone talisman, finally finding it under a rock she tripped over. She concentrated on it, willing herself to wake up. It was difficult at first, but finally she saw the landscape distort around her, slowly transforming into her bedroom.

She woke.

She tried to leap from the bed but the sleeping pill hadn't fully worn off yet. Woozy, she planted her feet on the floor and got up, stumbling a few steps forward. She heard a snicker and spun around. The quick movement unbalanced her and she fell to her knees.

Beetlejuice leaned against the wall, arms crossed casually across his chest.

"You know," he said quietly, "it's all fun and games in dreams, kid, but in the real world it's a whole lot harder to fuck with me."

He slowly advanced on her, the toes of his combat boots dragging across the floor as he glided closer and closer. She shrank back, fear flooding her eyes. He brought himself within less than an inch of her, eye to eye.

"You want to be in control?" he said, his voice full of malice, "I'll show you who's in control. No one controls me, little girl."

Beetlejuice snapped his fingers and Lydia was blown back against the wall, pinned like a butterfly. He advanced again, his fingertips beginning to glow like embers. He touched a fingertip to her chest and she screamed in pain, the smell of searing flesh and burning fabric filling the room.

"You scared yet, kid?" he asked as he removed his finger. "Where do you want the next scar?"

He blinked, and her night dress disappeared, leaving her nude. He knelt, and used another burning fingertip to write his name on the flesh of her thigh. She screamed louder than before.

He drew back to look at her. Tears streamed down her face as she looked straight into his eyes. Damn it, those eyes! Behind her tears, they looked like they were made of pure chocolate. He was lost for a moment, unable to pull his gaze away. He remembered her again as a sad, lonely fifteen year old, desperate to end her life…desperate to save her otherworldly friends.

**[~]**

The last of the drug-induced haze lifted from her brain and she felt her body pulsing with power. Lydia took advantage of Beetlejuice's moment's hesitation and said "Stop" loudly and clearly.

The word seemed to hang in the air for a moment, and then suddenly he was hurled across the room, landing on the bed. She slid down the wall slowly, breaking free of his spell, and now it was her turn to advance on him.

"Poor old Beet…BJ," she purred, "can't even handle a _little girl_ like me."

She climbed right up next to him on the bed, her own fingers glowing with ethereal fire, and she traced her own name into the pallid flesh of his thigh.

"Eye for an eye, B," she said. "We're square."

"No we're not," he spat out. "You still owe me a debt, babe."

"I don't owe you shit."

"Wrong answer, kid. We had a deal. I save those two deadbeats you hang around with, you marry me and get me the hell out. I did what you wanted, so it's time to hold up your end."

"I'll never take those vows again. NEVER."

"Too late…the vows were already taken, remember?"

"You stole my voice!"

"Doesn't matter. Official record says we're hitched, toots. I have that straight from that withered old bat, Juno, herself."

He blinked, and she now found herself pinned to the bed, Beetlejuice hovering over her with a shit-eating grin on his face.

His serpent-like tongue snaked out of his mouth, lapping lightly at the hollow between her neck and shoulder. His hand traced a burning path from her neck to her left breast, his finger lightly grazing her hardening nipple. She fought to keep from gasping, knowing it would excite him, but it was becoming a losing battle. She was horrified to discover her body responding to his touch, amazed at the sudden rush of heat and moisture between her legs.

"So…so why were you haunting my dreams?" she whispered, not trusting her voice. "If we're married, why do you still need me?"

"Old rules, kid," he replied. "On the other side, marriage isn't binding till we fuck. And trust me, we are _going_ to fuck. Eventually…"

He bit down hard on her neck, and this time she was unable to keep her moan contained. He hesitated, the sound of her moan seeming to disarm him for a second. She felt him grin against her neck.

"Well well well," he said, pulling back to look into her eyes, "Frigid little bitch does have a pussy after all."

Lydia opened her mouth to reply, but he covered her lips with his own, his tongue plunging into her mouth to tease hers. His icy fingers left her breast and dove straight to her sex, his knee forcing her legs apart as his fingers split her wide. A fingertip drew up between her folds and came to rest at the base of her clitoris. She moaned again.

"Frigid little bitch has a pussy that apparently wants some attention. Gee, kid, I didn't know you missed me this much…"

She began to struggle, desperate to stop this and cursing her rebellious body. Sex was one thing, but if fucking him meant unleashing him on the living world she had to end this and end it fast. But his power was greater than her own, and his eager mouth had her locked in a heated, lustful embrace. His finger began to worry at the base of her clit, and Jesus did it feel good…it had been so long since any man had touched her, and he was touching her in all the right ways. Before she knew it, her hands had tangled themselves in his hair and she was grinding against his fingers.

**[~]**

Her reaction shocked the hell out of him. He thought she'd resist, try to use her power to stop him, but instead she pressed closer to him, her tongue playing with his and her hand sneaking between them to clutch at his chest. Her hand moved further down to tug at his pant waist…then down even further…

He let out a lustful groan and flipped himself on top of her, moving his lips again to her neck as he insinuated himself between her trembling thighs. She fumbled with the button on his pants, and he sighed with slight exasperation, snapping his fingers to instantly remove his clothes. She wrapped both her arms and legs around him.

"Ghost with the Most babes, remember?"

"How could I forget?"

His fingers found her clit again as he encircled her left nipple with his lips. Her soft moans grew louder as he brought her just to the brink again and again, not quite letting her find her release. Her body quivered beneath him as she let out a frustrated cry.

"Tell me what you want, babe," he growled. "Tell me what you need."

"You," she breathed.

"I'm right here. That all?"

"Bastard," she spat, and it sent a jolt of electricity through him. "You know what I want."

"Tell me," he said, rotating his thumb on her clit just once as he dipped two fingers inside her. He began to worry at her nipple with his teeth. She groaned something incoherent, grinding against his now motionless hand.

"I didn't catch that babe, what did you say?"

"I said I want you to fuck me until my eyes roll back in my skull and I speak in tongues."

"Sure thing."

His entrance alone was enough to send her over the edge and her whole body shook with release, her head thrown back in a silent scream. He didn't give her a chance to come back down, beginning a rhythm that she quickly matched.

He tried to keep control, he really did.

But the heat from her core sent shivers up and down his spine, and she whispered filthy little nothings in his ear. It was intoxicating, like her scent in her dream, and he dug his fingers into her hips. Everywhere he felt her touch seemed to burn through to his very soul (if he even still had such a thing), and his rhythm became frantic. His hand flew over her, raking his nails up her sides and gripping her soft breasts. He crushed his mouth to hers, putting a hand behind her head as he flipped her on top of him. She ran her tongue down his neck and chest, and it felt absolutely fucking amazing. He lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him, and saw nothing but raw lust in her eyes.

It was enough.

It was too much.

He came.

He came, and the world blew apart.

He came, and the sky was rent in two.

He came, and every window in the house shattered.

He came and so did she and he knew that he would be her fucking slave forever and he screamed her name and she screamed his and he knew it didn't matter a damn anymore and he fucking loved the sound of his name on her tongue and he vowed she'd never scream anyone's name but his because she belonged to him just as much as he did to her.

**[~]**

Beetlejuice floated just above the bed, smoking a cigarette. He gazed down at Lydia, drinking in every inch of her naked form. A sheen of sweat covering her body glistened in the moonlight and he contemplated getting her started again. Now that he'd had her, he couldn't get enough.

"Whoa boy," she said, seeming to read his mind. "At least let me catch my breath."

He snorted with laughter as he took a long drag on the cigarette.

She sat up slowly, her body aching all over, and gazed at her thigh.

"Hey, your name is gone. Thought you etched that in there permanently."

"Nah. Just parlor tricks, babe. Your thighs are too damn sexy to leave scarred like that."

She laughed a little, stretching her arms and legs. She looked up at him, the smile fading from her lips.

"So…so what happens now?" she asked.

"What do you want to happen?"

He was being serious, which alarmed her somewhat.

"I…I don't know."

He didn't want her to send him packing. The truth was, she didn't really want to send him away either. He was insane, controlling, and completely untrustworthy…but for whatever reason she still wanted him.

"The Bond," he said.

"What?"

"The reason you want me to stay is this God damned Bond between us. We're Bonded for life, babe. But hey, don't let that stop you. You want me gone, you just say the word."

She gazed at him for a moment, confusion written on her face. The confusion slowly cleared, replaced with a smirk as she reached up and pulled him back down onto the bed.

"I just have one question, B," she said.

"What's that?"

"Just exactly what the hell are we going to tell the Maitlands?"

_**END**_

* * *

_AN: Lame ending is lame. I'm not happy with chapters 7 or 8, and if they change I will post a note as chapter 9 so that subscribed peoples know I made changes. Anyway it is done. Thanks to Lovely Miss Fyrefly, AssasiniaTheHollowPrincess, TheBlackxRabbit, Miss Savvy, and an anonymous reviewer known only as Guest. I know I've thanked most of you before, but you stuck with me and I appreciate that. Thanks for reading and reviewing!_


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